Yenta Laureate sent along some recent photos from the Angel Orsensanz Center at 172 Norfolk St. The former Anshe Chesed Synagogue, dating to 1850, has a new companion. Notice the Lenin statue, that longtime fixture of the Lower East Side, which recently found a new home atop 178 Norfolk St.?

It was last summer that Al Orensanz, the beloved director of the arts organization and gathering space, passed away at the age of 74. His brother, Spanish artist Angel Orensanz, has now taken on a larger role in overseeing the building. Meanwhile, Paul Bartlett has been coordinating a campaign to co-name a section of Norfolk Street for Al Orensanz. Here’s the online petition.